I had seen Clint Eastwood, Laura Linney, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon, Susan Sarandon, and Sean Penn when I went to the red-carpet premiere of Mystic River, but that was not my *meeting* with an Oscar winner. The person I am talking about is Zana Briski (and Ross Kauffman), the winner for the Best Documentary at the 77th Oscars last night.
I was *lucky* to have watched this documentary at Film Forum a couple of months back - Born Into Brothels. I was luckier to have gone a few minutes late and end up on the first row. After the brilliant movie, we had a chance to meet the directors for a Q&A session. Truly fortunate to have met and spoken to Zana. This documentary was the beginning of my "life-changing weekend" (sensationalize it even more.. :)); it deeply impacted me!
Its truly a pity that the makers of the documentary do not plan to release it in India. The Oscar win last night might help the documentary gross over $4 million and one would assume, most of that money would be pumped back to a noble cause in Calcutta or elsewhere.
Greatest respect and admiration for that lady, Zana Briski!
Monday, February 28, 2005
Thursday, February 24, 2005
Self-acknowledged Wannabe NuYokker
I read today that to really live up the New York experience, you must want to be lucky. Notice, not just be lucky, but *want* to be lucky! Its a dynamic place where its very hard to hold on to your static, rigid beliefs and values, you must be open to change...I am!
I acknowledge that The City has the ability to change me in a bigger way than any other city that I have lived in so far. I consider this a transient phase in my life; I don't see myself living here for too long. I want to make the most of it during my stay here. Am willing to embrace, appreciate, recognize anything and everything that is thrown at me here in NY. Its the place where you can go, "ah, that is good!" without turning over your shoulder to see if your thoughts are resonated/approved by anyone else. You can be whoever you want to be in NuYok and have a good time. In the next year or so, I want The City to mold my identity and make a lasting impression on me for life.
Truly acknowledge - very fortunate to be living in The City, totally smitten by it, and admittedly, a Wannabe NuYokker..
I acknowledge that The City has the ability to change me in a bigger way than any other city that I have lived in so far. I consider this a transient phase in my life; I don't see myself living here for too long. I want to make the most of it during my stay here. Am willing to embrace, appreciate, recognize anything and everything that is thrown at me here in NY. Its the place where you can go, "ah, that is good!" without turning over your shoulder to see if your thoughts are resonated/approved by anyone else. You can be whoever you want to be in NuYok and have a good time. In the next year or so, I want The City to mold my identity and make a lasting impression on me for life.
Truly acknowledge - very fortunate to be living in The City, totally smitten by it, and admittedly, a Wannabe NuYokker..
Gud ol' times
Yes its here! The time in my life when I look back at "gud ol' times" - kinda early one would think, but at least am not living in denial in this case :)
Have always looked back at certain times in my life and thought about some people in my life (who may not play such a great role in my day-to-day existence like they used to..), but then previoulsy there was always that hope that I could re-live some of those times with some of those people. Now, I finally have to acknowledge that such times are consigned to reminiscing about, and thats it!
Did you have a phase in ur life which u call ur "glory days"? For me, it was the final year of high school, my 12th grade - as I look back, that was probably one of the best phases in my life so far. If I was blogging incognito, I would elaborate more about that phase..
In my room today is a cricket bat that I haven't used in more than 2 years, but its there anyway. It reminds me every now and then about them 'gud ol' days' of "kutti ground" cricket! Now, this was a fairly large piece of empty, unused land in Malleswaram, Bangalore, which we made our own ("kutti" translated into Tamil = small) - this was our Lords, our mecca of cricket, in that little world, we ruled! Every so often, we would dare to step out of our kutti ground into the bigger grounds where the "others" played, get walloped so bad and be relegated back to our kutti ground. If there is one long-lasting memory of most of "us" who played there, it would be Aliou's annoying run-up to bowl; Button's cross-batted slog straight down the ground with the power that theatened to make a brick loose in Venkatappa's wall; Yambar's stay at the crease, missing every other ball, but still nudging one here and there, and driving the bowler to sheer frustration; Impo's ability to hit a four of just *any* ball bowled when he wanted to; OiceMan charging down the pitch and glaring at Apaan and attempting to sledge him; Marshall's sheer pace... I could go on and on. I *hope* that the lasting memory that I have left the people above about me is a flowing, elegant, textbook cover-drive, head perfectly over the ball, feet to the pitch, elbow high up.. Truly, those gud ol' days..
Have always looked back at certain times in my life and thought about some people in my life (who may not play such a great role in my day-to-day existence like they used to..), but then previoulsy there was always that hope that I could re-live some of those times with some of those people. Now, I finally have to acknowledge that such times are consigned to reminiscing about, and thats it!
Did you have a phase in ur life which u call ur "glory days"? For me, it was the final year of high school, my 12th grade - as I look back, that was probably one of the best phases in my life so far. If I was blogging incognito, I would elaborate more about that phase..
In my room today is a cricket bat that I haven't used in more than 2 years, but its there anyway. It reminds me every now and then about them 'gud ol' days' of "kutti ground" cricket! Now, this was a fairly large piece of empty, unused land in Malleswaram, Bangalore, which we made our own ("kutti" translated into Tamil = small) - this was our Lords, our mecca of cricket, in that little world, we ruled! Every so often, we would dare to step out of our kutti ground into the bigger grounds where the "others" played, get walloped so bad and be relegated back to our kutti ground. If there is one long-lasting memory of most of "us" who played there, it would be Aliou's annoying run-up to bowl; Button's cross-batted slog straight down the ground with the power that theatened to make a brick loose in Venkatappa's wall; Yambar's stay at the crease, missing every other ball, but still nudging one here and there, and driving the bowler to sheer frustration; Impo's ability to hit a four of just *any* ball bowled when he wanted to; OiceMan charging down the pitch and glaring at Apaan and attempting to sledge him; Marshall's sheer pace... I could go on and on. I *hope* that the lasting memory that I have left the people above about me is a flowing, elegant, textbook cover-drive, head perfectly over the ball, feet to the pitch, elbow high up.. Truly, those gud ol' days..
Saturday, February 12, 2005
Art is..
..something that makes me go, wow!
Art has a different interpretation for every individual, art to me is NOT seeing a block of wood, a tubelight, or a blank sheet of paper on a wall - some 'artist' actually passed those off as pieces of art at the Guggenheim Museum sometime back. The architecture of the Guggenheim is remarkable, but the abstract art that I saw there sometime back, umm..I dunno about that. May appeal to some others, not me..
The Gates (blog below) was amazing for the effect it had on me and the effort that had gone into creating something as elaborate and large-scale as this.
Maureen Dowd (of nytimes) in this editorial talks about what art means to her - http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/06/opinion/6dowd.html?n=Top%2fOpinion%2fEditorials%20and%20Op%2dEd%2fOp%2dEd%2fColumnists%2fMaureen%20Dowd
I liked the point about how art does NOT have to conform to standards set by anyone or enjoy consensus with a vast majority (politics has to) - art is just someone's opinion - its upto the recipient to interpretate it any way he/she wants to.
On a more crass note, there is this poster I wanted to buy - a metal statue of a nude woman (imagine one of those trophies for them film awards) with an old, homeless, tramp in a long overcoat standing in front of her and unbuttoning the coat to the statue - the caption reads, "Expose yourself to art"! :)
Art has a different interpretation for every individual, art to me is NOT seeing a block of wood, a tubelight, or a blank sheet of paper on a wall - some 'artist' actually passed those off as pieces of art at the Guggenheim Museum sometime back. The architecture of the Guggenheim is remarkable, but the abstract art that I saw there sometime back, umm..I dunno about that. May appeal to some others, not me..
The Gates (blog below) was amazing for the effect it had on me and the effort that had gone into creating something as elaborate and large-scale as this.
Maureen Dowd (of nytimes) in this editorial talks about what art means to her - http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/06/opinion/6dowd.html?n=Top%2fOpinion%2fEditorials%20and%20Op%2dEd%2fOp%2dEd%2fColumnists%2fMaureen%20Dowd
I liked the point about how art does NOT have to conform to standards set by anyone or enjoy consensus with a vast majority (politics has to) - art is just someone's opinion - its upto the recipient to interpretate it any way he/she wants to.
On a more crass note, there is this poster I wanted to buy - a metal statue of a nude woman (imagine one of those trophies for them film awards) with an old, homeless, tramp in a long overcoat standing in front of her and unbuttoning the coat to the statue - the caption reads, "Expose yourself to art"! :)
The Gates
Art for everyman - that would be the theme for this populist spectacle in Central Park, opening today. Just got back from witnessing a couple of miles of this 23 mile "piece of art" by Christo and Jeanne-Claude. To get a better understanding of what is "art" about this. what this is really, who the artists are, etc. check this - http://www.the-gates-at-central-park.com/index.php?cont=some_artw
This couple has been responsible for several such works of art all over the world for the last 35-40 years almost - using huge amounts of cloth to create an effect in a certain place for a short period of time (their more famous works include wrapping Paris' Pont Neuf in golden cloth and islands in Miami in pink cloth).
So The Gates is 7500 steel frames, draped with orange cloth along the 23 miles of walkway in the Central Park (the $20 million expense borne completely by the artists). The choice of color is awesome - on a dull, windy, chilly, typical grey February day in NY, to have streaks of orange criss-crossing across the huge expanse of Central Park creates a superb effect. Its a reason to get people out to celebrate and socialize - thousands of people witnessed this exhibition in Central Park today - everyone doing their bit to add to the festivities - clicking away with their digicams, out with friends, family and significant others, chipping in with the odd splash of orange in their clothing or accessories.
I couldn't find much literature in the form of brochures or the likes, elaborating further on the art or the artists, giving the feeling that it was left to every individual to experience as is. Btw, the idea is as old as I am (the significant year being 1979)..
Its on for 16 days, starting today - make sure you check it out - its free, its "out there", and may just be able to lift up your spirits on a grey February day in NYC..
This couple has been responsible for several such works of art all over the world for the last 35-40 years almost - using huge amounts of cloth to create an effect in a certain place for a short period of time (their more famous works include wrapping Paris' Pont Neuf in golden cloth and islands in Miami in pink cloth).
So The Gates is 7500 steel frames, draped with orange cloth along the 23 miles of walkway in the Central Park (the $20 million expense borne completely by the artists). The choice of color is awesome - on a dull, windy, chilly, typical grey February day in NY, to have streaks of orange criss-crossing across the huge expanse of Central Park creates a superb effect. Its a reason to get people out to celebrate and socialize - thousands of people witnessed this exhibition in Central Park today - everyone doing their bit to add to the festivities - clicking away with their digicams, out with friends, family and significant others, chipping in with the odd splash of orange in their clothing or accessories.
I couldn't find much literature in the form of brochures or the likes, elaborating further on the art or the artists, giving the feeling that it was left to every individual to experience as is. Btw, the idea is as old as I am (the significant year being 1979)..
Its on for 16 days, starting today - make sure you check it out - its free, its "out there", and may just be able to lift up your spirits on a grey February day in NYC..
Thursday, February 03, 2005
Black
Was quite looking forward to seeing this Bollywood movie - and I was thoroughly impressed!
Its about a deaf and blind girl who is taught to live independently by this teacher. And then when the teacher suffers from Alzheimers, the girl helps him recollect some of their past memories. A subject of this nature requires some big names to bring crowds to the theaters and at this point, it doesn't get too much bigger in Bollywood than Amitabh Bacchan and Rani Mukherji as the teacher and the blind and deaf girl - both of them have given in superlative acting efforts and Rani, whose character can't speak has carried the movie completely on her emotive abilities.
The suffering that a girl who can't hear or see has been potrayed poignantly. A fair amount of research has gone into the storytelling and that clearly shows. The British-raj sets are grand and there is a touch of style and grandeur in the director, Sanjay Leela Bhansali's deliverance.
Its very encouraging to see topics of this nature being explored by Bollywood, in an effort to make more "meaningful" cinema and break out of the song-and-dance stereo-type (and then you have the Mira Nairs of India reaching out to the world with mind-numbing movies like Bride and Prejudice and the likes).
I loved the delicate handling of the issue of sex in this movie - the only man that the deaf/blind girl knows is her teacher, for him to get her to understand that she may never experience physical love was well-crafted. Again, to see hints of physicality between a teacher and his blind/deaf student may not be easily digested by a vast majority.
Yes, its got its overt displays of dramatizations, but no there are no songs, no running around trees, its "offbeat Bollywood" with a couple of fantastic performances, great direction, elaborate sets and details - 2 hrs well spent!
Its about a deaf and blind girl who is taught to live independently by this teacher. And then when the teacher suffers from Alzheimers, the girl helps him recollect some of their past memories. A subject of this nature requires some big names to bring crowds to the theaters and at this point, it doesn't get too much bigger in Bollywood than Amitabh Bacchan and Rani Mukherji as the teacher and the blind and deaf girl - both of them have given in superlative acting efforts and Rani, whose character can't speak has carried the movie completely on her emotive abilities.
The suffering that a girl who can't hear or see has been potrayed poignantly. A fair amount of research has gone into the storytelling and that clearly shows. The British-raj sets are grand and there is a touch of style and grandeur in the director, Sanjay Leela Bhansali's deliverance.
Its very encouraging to see topics of this nature being explored by Bollywood, in an effort to make more "meaningful" cinema and break out of the song-and-dance stereo-type (and then you have the Mira Nairs of India reaching out to the world with mind-numbing movies like Bride and Prejudice and the likes).
I loved the delicate handling of the issue of sex in this movie - the only man that the deaf/blind girl knows is her teacher, for him to get her to understand that she may never experience physical love was well-crafted. Again, to see hints of physicality between a teacher and his blind/deaf student may not be easily digested by a vast majority.
Yes, its got its overt displays of dramatizations, but no there are no songs, no running around trees, its "offbeat Bollywood" with a couple of fantastic performances, great direction, elaborate sets and details - 2 hrs well spent!
Wednesday, February 02, 2005
Groundhog Day
News from the "weather capital of the world", Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania - Phil, the groundhog has spoken and the news ain't good! He did see his shadow this morning, which indicates six more weeks of winter. He has supposedly been predicting the weather for 118 years (the Inner Circle claim its the *same* groundhog all these years - www.groundhog.org) - for the record, he has seen his shadow 94 times and not seen it only 18 times.
Also finally got around to seeing the "American classic", Groundhog Day starring Bill Murray earlier last year - very good movie, recommended watching.
With this not being such a severe winter this far, I was hoping for early Spring (and with Spring comes a wave of optimism), but oh well..
Also finally got around to seeing the "American classic", Groundhog Day starring Bill Murray earlier last year - very good movie, recommended watching.
With this not being such a severe winter this far, I was hoping for early Spring (and with Spring comes a wave of optimism), but oh well..
Tuesday, February 01, 2005
Evolution is just a theory
..says the President of the United States. Its alarming - only 45% of Americans accept the Theory of Evolution (in contrast, 75% of a very Catholic country like Poland accepts it and so does 96% of Japan).
While Evolution maybe a few pages of a chapter in High School textbooks in the US, teachers often shy away from teaching the contents themseleves - evolution is often relegated to self-learning, which may not be discussed in class (fearing protests from fundamentalists and such).
Its one thing to be on the far-right (or far West, a reference to my previous blog), but the number above is alarming! Other countries in the West and the rest of the world struggle to fathom how a country which can lay claims to being the most technologically advanced country in the world, would reject (or not accept) a fundamental theory (Theory of Evolution), which is based on strong scientific evidence, in favor of a theory (of Creationism) which has very little scientific legitimacy (comes down to natural causation vs. supernatural causation). Go figure!
Evolution is not just a theory, it IS fact - and the Bible Belt better come to terms with it! I like that term, "Bible Belt"(read it on SundayTimes, UK) - the blue states in the coasts with the Bible Belt in the middle.
While Evolution maybe a few pages of a chapter in High School textbooks in the US, teachers often shy away from teaching the contents themseleves - evolution is often relegated to self-learning, which may not be discussed in class (fearing protests from fundamentalists and such).
Its one thing to be on the far-right (or far West, a reference to my previous blog), but the number above is alarming! Other countries in the West and the rest of the world struggle to fathom how a country which can lay claims to being the most technologically advanced country in the world, would reject (or not accept) a fundamental theory (Theory of Evolution), which is based on strong scientific evidence, in favor of a theory (of Creationism) which has very little scientific legitimacy (comes down to natural causation vs. supernatural causation). Go figure!
Evolution is not just a theory, it IS fact - and the Bible Belt better come to terms with it! I like that term, "Bible Belt"(read it on SundayTimes, UK) - the blue states in the coasts with the Bible Belt in the middle.
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